Our Commitments

Social good

As a non-Indigenous organization working with Indigenous communities, Pinnguaq Foundation is committed to reconciliation and decolonization. We are mindful of – and work to support progress on – the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s calls to action, with a broad and specific concentration on:

CTAs 57 and 92:

education for public servants on the history of Indigenous peoples and intercultural competency training (considering our staff and staff of our partner organizations to be public servants) and;

CTA 92:

CTA 92: work toward ensuring Indigenous Peoples having equitable access to corporate education, training and job opportunities, and that cultural competency and anti-racism training be considered a core component of professional development.

In service of these CTAs, we strive to:

Concentrate our funding and support on initiatives in Indigenous communities and with Indigenous peoples living in other communities;

Pursue a mission that supports the TRC’s goal of vastly improving life for Indigenous Peoples in Canada, specifically through reconciliation and prevention measures such as:

Creating educational and economic opportunities for Indigenous peoples so they can fully participate in society;

Ensuring our non-Indigenous staff and partner organizations’s staff receive training to concretely understand the reality of Indigenous Peoples’ treatment in Canada;

Implementing an inclusive hiring policy striving to recruit and hire Indigenous peoples to our team and striving to work with organizations who do the same.

Good Governance

Financial Management

Pinnguaq Foundation is committed to the highest standards of transparency and accountability in all of our activities. We ensure that every dollar we raise, use or disburse to other organizations has a clear purpose, oversight, and is controlled, in support of our charitable mandate and activities.

We understand the importance of maintaining full responsibility over how our funds are used, and we achieve this through the following measures:

• Formal Written Agreements: For every partnership and disbursement, we establish formal written contracts that outline the charitable activities to be carried out, the specific use of funds, and the roles and responsibilities of both parties. These agreements ensure that all activities funded by the Pinnguaq Foundation are conducted under our oversight and advance our charitable objectives. This includes work we do with key partners like Ampere, even where there is very close alignment on mission and mandate.
• Ongoing Monitoring and Reporting: We maintain rigorous oversight of all projects we support, requiring regular financial and activity reports from our partner organizations. This helps us ensure that funds are being used appropriately and effectively, in accordance with the goals we have established together.
• Direction and Control: While we value collaboration with trusted partners, we retain full direction and control over how the funds we disburse are used. This is to ensure that all activities funded by the Pinnguaq Foundation are directly aligned with our mission to advance education in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) related subjects by developing, operating and delivering culturally responsive digital literacy initiatives, applications and resources.

Human Resources Processes

Part of our commitment to good governance includes developing and adhering to robust policies for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Conflict of Interest and others as well as striving for a Board of Directors that is representative of the composition of communities with whom we work. Our governing Board (Board of Directors) meets consistently on a regular basis.

We implement and adhere to workplace policies that ensure a safe and inclusive environment that is free from racism, harassment and discrimination for program participants as well as others in our organization and work with partner organizations that do the same.

We follow the guidelines and best practices laid out in the Canada Research Chairs’ Creating an Equitable, Diverse and Inclusive Research Environment: A Best Practices Guide for Recruitment, Hiring and Retention. We also have an Accessibility Plan that outlines accommodation procedures for both employees and program participants.

Environmental good

The Pinnguaq Foundation is committed to reducing our organizational impact on the environment to the maximum extent possible. We ensure our workspaces reduce energy waste, that we pursue measures to generate renewable energy in our workplaces and that we strive to support projects that include aspects of environmental learning, climate action and conservation, that are aligned with our Mission and Vision. Finally, we partner with organizations that do the same including consideration in our fund disbursement decision-making.

By adhering to these Commitments we remain fully accountable to our donors, partners, and communities, ensuring that their contributions are used responsibly to create meaningful impact. Our commitment to oversight and transparency reflects our dedication to upholding the highest ethical standards in all that we do.